Nicola Bell, interim director major projects since June, has now finally  been told she can have the job on a permanent basis.

Similarly, Richard Pedley, who has been interim chief digital information officer since June, now gets to the job properly.

They will both take up their permanent roles with immediate effect.

It seems to be the way they do things at National Highways. When chief executive Jim O’Sullivan left in February 2021, his successor, Nick Harris, also had to spend six months working as ‘interim’ chief executive before his status was confirmed.

Major projects director Nicola Bell replaces Peter Mumford, who recently joined Balfour Beatty. She was previously National Highways’ operations director for southeast England.

Nick Harris said both new directors had proved their worth over the last six months. 

“Both have contributed significantly to the business in their interim roles,” he said. “Nicola is driving a sharp focus on our delivery programme, ensuring we find the necessary financial efficiencies to help us meet our commitments for Roads Period 2. Richard, meanwhile, is leading on the digital roads agenda and how our roads might look in the future.” 

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